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djconnel wrote:I just got mine. 3 Velcro straps (no buckle) for reduced mass. The "molding" process seems to work: the shoes hug my feet fairly well, and the process was painless. The soles are exceptionally stiff. One issue: one of the threaded inserts for the cleat screws wasn't grabbing, so I epoxied it in place. Another issue: the screws are on the long side, and can be felt through the thin footbed, so I might find shorter (lighter) screws.

I'll comment on the holes: Kevin @ Bike Nüt recommends buying the shoes undrilled and drilling your own holes to allow for cleat position adjustment. The 2010 Bont shoes have a wide flat platform on the bottom of the show well suited for Speedplay pedals. The older soles were shaped differently.

He also recommends special ordering loops in all three straps if you're going for the no-buckle shoes. This allows for superior tightening of the upper strap. I'm not sure the weight penalty, or if the weight savings relative to the buckle are lost.

He further said the 2010 Bonts are sizing one size smaller) than 2009. In other words, while you'd buy a 39 Bont versus a 41 Sidi in 2009, you'd now buy a 40 Bont.

Another suggestion: if you have a shape anomalie, pad any bumps before form-fitting the shoe. Then when the shoe relaxes a bit, it will relax into the desired shape, rather than still applying preferential pressure to the bump.

These shoes are great and there are a lot of pro riders in the peloton now using them.

In terms of ventilation, they have 40 holes in the upper along with a gill system in the arch to aid ventilation. The shoes are being used in Oz in pretty high temperatures with no problem at all.

In terms of the comment from the person in comparison to Lake, Lake is not even close to these shoes, A country mile apart as well as the person being misinformed about them being made too much like skate boots. Bont shoes have been designed with in conjunction with some of the best riders in the world both on track and road and have been reengineered totally for cycling. Have a look at the like of Wiggens, Boonen, Hoy, Henderson, Rogers and countless others who have shifted from other shoes to Bont including shifting away from Lake. Surely if some of the best riders around are wearing them, there must be something to them.

They now also have a full line including entry level shoes that are heat moldable (yes, an entry level road shoe that is priced at entry level, is sub 300 grams and is heat moldable). The top of the line shoes are sub250grams from what I know, which is lighter then any Lake, Shimano, etc shoe is. If you look around you will also find that they have a speedplay shoe coming out, but with their existing 3.6mm stack height, even with adaptors they will still be lower then anything else. By the way, anyone that may have seen these guys at Interbike will also know they have a 160gram ultralight shoe coming out that has no weight limit.

I just bought the Bont A2 shoes today. Molding was easy. I have been on the Shimano R300 and M300 for two years so I am excited to see how these compare. Initial impressions are favorable. I bought these at Banning's Bikes in Fullerton CA if anyone local is interested.

On a side note, I also bought a pair of 2XU compression socks only to get home and take a used pair of Castelli socks out of the box! Not really worth the $49, ha! I'll have to take them back.

djconnel wrote:I'll comment on the holes: Kevin @ Bike Nüt recommends buying the shoes undrilled and drilling your own holes to allow for cleat position adjustment. The 2010 Bont shoes have a wide flat platform on the bottom of the show well suited for Speedplay pedals. The older soles were shaped differently.

He also recommends special ordering loops in all three straps if you're going for the no-buckle shoes. This allows for superior tightening of the upper strap. I'm not sure the weight penalty, or if the weight savings relative to the buckle are lost.

There is also another option for ordering Bont shoes. You can special order them with no velcro straps and no buckles. Instead you can special order lace-up shoes that have a "cover" which goes over the laces and velcros down. I have a set on special order right now and awaiting their delivery. They would look similar to this shoe:

Bont will have an ultra-light climbing shoe later this year to go alongside the A1 which will feature the lace-ups as a standard feature to save additional weight.

djconnel wrote:Kevin @ Bike Nüt He also recommends special ordering loops in all three straps if you're going for the no-buckle shoes. This allows for superior tightening of the upper strap. I'm not sure the weight penalty, or if the weight savings relative to the buckle are lost.

With regard to the three velcro strap version: Can't find any pictures of the 'inside' side view, iow, where the loops are. The third/upper velcro strap does not have a loop? I could see how that wouldn't tighten as properly. Another option is the Bont T1. It's the track version; it has laces and one upper velcro strap, same claimed weight as the 3-strap shoe: 225g.

But those rumors sound good also. Adjustable Speedplay version and a 160g überlight shoe. Decisions, decisions.

Sorry if this has already been asked, but how exactly do you go about molding the soles? I have a few pairs of the Shimano heat mold-able shoes, but I'm not familiar with the process for the Bonts. Anybody have a video or pics?